In a recent vote, the Federal Communications Commission decided that cable companies should be allowed to encrypt their basic cable signals. Among other things, that now means that if you’re a cable Internet subscriber and have been getting cable TV without paying for it—your days are numbered.

In its Friday vote, the FCC said that the move would reduce the number of visits by cable technicians and would prevent "service theft." However, it will also eliminate the use of open set-top boxes that can capture TV content directly.

As we’ve reported on previously, open set-top boxes have been on the decline, largely due to the lobbying efforts of the major cable players, including Cablevision, Comcast, Verizon, and others.

Some tech policy wonks have complained about the move, arguing that by encrypting those signals and forcing other TV innovators—along the lines of Boxee, Roku, Tivo, and others—to comply with this new regime, the FCC will put a damper on new innovation.

"This is final nail in the coffin for the dream that we can somehow reasonably unencrypt video in the home," said Steve Schultze, associate director of the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton University. "An unecrypted basic tier was the final holdout that devices in the home could use—I was hoping that FCC would use this as an opportunity to encourage next-generation set-top boxes."

Schultze argues that Tivo came of age at a time when it didn’t have to deal with such encryption and cable certification regimes, and as such, became a significant innovator.

"If all of the channels were encrypted 10 years ago, we might not have had Tivo or DVRs," he added.

Boxee, Slingbox are unconcerned

Still, one relatively new entrant in this sector, Boxee, has articulated its support for the new FCC ruling.

"The rulemaking ensures startups like Boxee can continue to invest in building products to innovate in the set-top box/connected TV space," the company wrote in a Friday blog post.

"We are also excited about the new opportunity to work with cable companies to provide next-generation experiences that will delight customers and push the industry forward. This rulemaking was the first time we’ve had to deal with the policy side of technology. While initially doubtful our voice would be heard and we would be able to make a difference, we were pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong."

A representative of Slingbox, Brian Jacquet, also wrote to Ars to say that this new ruling wasn't an issue.

"We don’t see any significant impact in this ruling," the spokesperson said. "The vast, vast majority of customers who own a Slingbox have cable/satellite service via a set top box and are looking to get more from that service by using Slingbox to extend the viewing experience to their smartphone, tablet, PC/Mac, etc."